In the absence of U.S. federal leadership on climate, what state, local, community or corporate solutions can be rapidly scaled? As a farmer and a marine biologist, and as mother and daughter, we have had two decades of dinner table conversations about the connections between agriculture and the ocean and about the alarming trends in soil health, ocean health and climate change. These discussions have converged on an underappreciated solution: regenerative farming of both land and sea. Put simply, regenerative goes beyond sustainable or organic, and actually restores soil and ocean health. This can put massive amounts of carbon back into soil and plants (sometimes called carbon farming) while reducing use of pesticides and fertilizers, growing a cornucopia of healthy food and supporting local economies. Win-win-win-win.

On the terrestrial side, restoring our soils with regenerative practices (e.g., planting cover crops and perennials, eliminating monocultures and tilling) could sequester up to 60 tons of carbon per acre, increase crop productivity and improve nutrient uptake, water retention and pest resistance. Rattan Lal, a leading soil expert, has calculated that “a mere 2 percent increase in the carbon content of the planet’s soils could offset 100 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions [currently] going into the atmosphere.”Project Drawdown (an organization that analyzes and shares information on climate solutions), ranks regenerative farming as among the “greatest opportunities to address human and climate health, along with the financial well-being of farmers.”

Land on our Skyhill Farm, in upstate New York, in transition from lawn to regenerative food garden. Credit: Charles DeLorme

There is also plenty of room for improvement in how we farm the ocean. Far too much of the emphasis so far has been on fish. Farming fish requires lots of feed and can pollute waters with pesticides and antibiotics used to treat lice and disease, result in escapes that spread disease to nearby wild fish populations and generally require a lot of infrastructure and care. Improved feed options and technologies are trying to address these drawbacks, but to focus on honing fish production is to miss a greater opportunity.

Regenerative ocean farming, as pioneered by Greenwave and others, means growing seaweed and shellfish (oysters, mussels, clams) in many small coastal underwater gardens of a few acres each, not constructing more industrial salmon farms. Seaweeds and shellfish don’t need to be fed; they grow with just sunlight and the nutrients and plankton already in seawater. As pioneering ocean farmer Bren Smith summarizes, “the real kicker” is that these low-maintenance ocean plants and animals “require no fresh water, no deforestation, and no fertilizer,” plus they improve water quality and create habitats for other species.

As Missy Elliot raps, “flip it and reverse it.” Instead of continuing to rely on fossil-fuel–intensive manufacture of fertilizers, we can farm seaweeds that suck up carbon as they grow and can be used for food, animal feed, biofuels and fertilizer. Instead of pesticides making us and the ocean sick, we can grow food in the ocean that makes us well. Instead of fertilizer runoff creating algal blooms, we can use algae as fertilizer to make fruit trees bloom. Instead of the U.S. Farm Bill supporting intensive monocultures that deplete soil, it should support restorative practices that rebuild soil. As Bren Smith frames it, this is our chance for “ecological redemption.”

Our atmosphere is overloaded with carbon, but carbon itself is not the enemy. From the stunning process of photosynthesis, to the transfer of energy in ecosystems, it is a vital element, the backbone of life. Through regenerative farming, soil and seaweed, we can draw down CO2 and feed ourselves while healing the planet. These are not cute, niche hippie concepts, but robust, scalable climate solutions that can feed the world.

It would be naive to expect Congress to use the Farm Bill as a moment to support a transition toward regenerative practices, instead of continuing to subsidize environmentally reckless farming. So we must turn to state and local emergency solutions to the climate crisis, including a return to the successful World War II victory gardens. Climate victory gardens, as proposed by Green America, would use regenerative practices to quickly convert lawns, public spaces and coastal waterways into carbon sponges and nutritious food. Everywhere there is space for a garden, every shoreline, and every person can be part of this fast, low-tech victory over our climate crisis.

Climate health is soil health is ocean health is human health. If we can muster the will before it’s too late, we can have our nutritious oysters and tomatoes and a livable climate too.

The views expressed are those of the author(s) and are not necessarily those of Scientific American.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)

Ayana Elizabeth Johnson

Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, Ph.D. is a marine biologist and founder of Ocean Collectiv, a consulting firm for conservation solutions grounded in social justice. She is also an adjunct professor at NYU, native of Brooklyn and @ayanaeliza on Twitter.

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